2017 Reading List

Today is the last day of 2017.  I’m going to reprise a small chunk of it:  my reading list.  I read the 40 books listed below,[1] bringing my long-term average to 35.4 books per year.  Not bad, though to be fair some of them were not that strenuous.  One book this year was a graphic novel – a Ray Bradbury authorized version of Fahreneit 451 – all the flavor of the original with some really cool drawings.  There were a couple[2] of volumes of poetry (Aronson, Bennett, Ossman), a few spy novels (Furst), some light fiction (Crighton, Marquez, Turow), and even an old favorite from my youth (George).

But I also pushed myself a bit.  I tackled a smorgasbord of nonfiction issues.  A couple of books on water (Egan, Owen) highlight an increasingly important and potentially divisive issue.  Baseball always gets some of my time (Halberstam, James, Shapiro).  James gets extra (un-listworthy) time from me because I subscribe to his outstanding website:  billjamesonline.com.  As in most years, history wins the plurality – I am devoted to learning from the past; it’s easier than doing something in the present.

The Strategy of Victory by Fleming tells the tale of George Washington’s approach to warfare during the revolutionary war.  It cogently explains Washington’s belief that the most important thing wasn’t to win, it was not to lose.  And it trenchantly conveys that the war was a civil war, which I don’t think most Americans appreciate.  In any event, they don’t understand the day-to-day consequences of not knowing whether your neighbor is your friend or your active enemy.

If you haven’t read In Cold Blood by Capote, you really should.  It is among the very best of non-fiction writing, telling a classic (true) tale of senseless murder.

I highly recommend two books that capture current sad realities (Bruder and Quinones).  The former tracks a group of retirees, who make the most of limited means by living in RVs.  The latter describes how heroin is destroying lives and communities.  The writing in both books is as good as the issues are timely.  Reading them will help you better understand the on-going trials and tribulations of millions of Americans.

One book I cannot recommend is The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking, even though he is a terrific “writer.”[3]  The book is interesting, informative, and showcases Hawking’s brilliance.  But it contains some pretty heavy science and math that significantly hampered my ability to understand, let alone enjoy, the ideas he put forth.

The next post will focus on one of the books that I have not mentioned yet.

Happy New Year.

[1] The books are listing in alphabetical order by author, just like the books on my bookshelves.

[2] You cannot convince me that “couple” refers only to two of something.  For example, if you ask for a couple of M&Ms, you would likely be mightily disappointed if I handed you exactly two green ones.

[3] I put “writer” in quotes because (obviously) Hawking cannot write.  Then again, few of us with the physical ability to do so write.  Every word I have posted on this website has been the product of typing.  Perhaps we should rid ourselves of words like “writer.”